Substrate-induced epitaxial mixing of bulk-immiscible La5/8Sr3/8MnO3/LuMnO3 films.

A mixture of a colossal magnetoresistance manganite (La5/8Sr3/8MnO3) and a multiferroic (LuMnO3), of potential interest for magnetoelectronics, was found to be bulk immiscible due to its structural/chemical incompatibility. Here, we demonstrate that thin-film epitaxy offers a route to achieve continuous perovskite solid solutions of such a bulk-immiscible mixture, allowing studies of their physical properties. The films grow with (110)- and (001)-preferred orientation on SrTiO3(100) and LaAlO3(100), respectively. The details of structural, magnetotransport, and magnetization data are discussed within the context of metal-insulator phase coexistence. Epitaxial stabilization of chemically immiscible phases clearly widens the scope of research on manganites as well as other materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]